U.S. patent application number 15/249499 was filed with the patent office on 2017-07-27 for slide rail assembly and guiding mechanism thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD., KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Ken-Ching Chen, Chien-Li Huang, Chun-Chiang Wang, Shun-Ho Yang.
Application Number | 20170215298 15/249499 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58608112 |
Filed Date | 2017-07-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170215298 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; Ken-Ching ; et
al. |
July 27, 2017 |
SLIDE RAIL ASSEMBLY AND GUIDING MECHANISM THEREOF
Abstract
A slide rail assembly is configured to mount a chassis to a
rack. A plurality of mounting members are arranged at one side of
the chassis. The slide rail assembly includes a first rail, a
second rail and a guiding base. The second rail includes a side
wall and a bottom wall. The guiding base is disposed at a front end
of the second rail. The guiding base defines an entry, an exit and
a passage located between the entry and the exit. The second rail
is moved out of the rack relative to the first rail. The bottom
wall of the second rail abuts against a bottom part of the chassis
for pushing the chassis into the rack. The chassis is mounted to
the second rail through guiding the plurality of mounting members
by the entry to pass through the passage and the exit.
Inventors: |
Chen; Ken-Ching; (Kaohsiung
City, TW) ; Yang; Shun-Ho; (Kaohsiung City, TW)
; Huang; Chien-Li; (Kaohsiung City, TW) ; Wang;
Chun-Chiang; (Kaohsiung City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KING SLIDE WORKS CO., LTD.
KING SLIDE TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD. |
Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung City |
|
TW
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
58608112 |
Appl. No.: |
15/249499 |
Filed: |
August 29, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 7/183 20130101;
A47B 2088/4675 20170101; A47B 88/453 20170101; A47B 2088/4274
20170101; A47B 88/467 20170101; A47B 88/427 20170101; H05K 7/1489
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H05K 7/18 20060101
H05K007/18; A47B 88/04 20060101 A47B088/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jan 22, 2016 |
TW |
105102162 |
Claims
1. A slide rail assembly, comprising: a first rail; a second rail
movable relative to the first rail along a longitudinal direction,
the second rail comprising a side wall and a bottom wall
perpendicularly connected to the side wall, wherein a first
transverse width is defined between the side wall and an edge of
the bottom wall; and a guiding base arranged at a front end of the
second rail, the guiding base comprising a first guiding section
and a second guiding section, the first guiding section and the
second guiding section defining an entry, an exit and a passage
located between the entry and the exit, wherein the entry, the exit
and the passage are arranged along a same direction; wherein a
second transverse width is defined between the entry of the guiding
base and the edge of the bottom wall of the second rail, and the
second transverse width is smaller than the first transverse
width.
2. The slide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein a plurality of
elongated holes are formed on the side wall of the second rail, the
second rail is connected to the first rail by a plurality of
connecting members with each of the connecting members passing
through the corresponding elongated hole, such that the second rail
is movable relative to the first rail within a limited space
defined by the elongated holes.
3. The slide rail assembly of claim 2, further comprising an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the second
rail for driving the second rail to move relative to the first
rail.
4. The slide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the first
guiding section and the second guiding section of the guiding base
has an inclined guiding surface located at the entry, such that a
width of the entry is greater than a width of the passage.
5. The slide rail assembly of claim 1, wherein the guiding base
further comprises a third guiding section extended from an upper
portion of the first guiding section and bent outwardly.
6. A slide rail assembly, configured to mount a chassis to a rack,
a plurality of mounting members being arranged at one side of the
chassis, the slide rail assembly being mounted to the rack through
a pair of brackets, the slide rail assembly comprising: a first
rail; a second rail movable relative to the first rail along a
longitudinal direction, the second rail comprising a side wall and
a bottom wall perpendicularly connected to the side wall; and a
guiding base arranged at a front end of the second rail, the
guiding base comprising a first guiding section and a second
guiding section, the first guiding section and the second guiding
section defining an entry, an exit and a passage located between
the entry and the exit; wherein during mounting the chassis to the
rack, the second rail is moved out of the rack relative to the
first rail, in order to allow the bottom wall of the second rail to
abut against a bottom part of the chassis for further pushing the
chassis into the rack, the chassis is mounted to the second rail
through guiding the plurality of mounting members by the entry of
the guiding base to pass through the passage and the exit of the
guiding base.
7. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein a plurality of
elongated holes are formed on the side wall of the second rail, the
second rail is connected to the first rail by a plurality of
connecting members with each of the connecting members passing
through the corresponding elongated hole, such that the second rail
is movable relative to the first rail.
8. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein a front end of the
first rail has a protrusion facing the side wall of the second
rail, such that when the second rail is moved out of the rack
relative to the first rail, the second rail is deflected by the
protrusion of the first rail.
9. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, further comprising a
blocking member movably mounted on the second rail, a portion of
the blocking member being located in the passage of the guiding
base.
10. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, further comprising an
engagement member arranged on the second rail, wherein one of the
pair of brackets has a mounting base, the engagement member is
engaged with the mounting base when the second rail is retracted
relative to the first rail.
11. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein one of the first
guiding section and the second guiding section of the guiding base
has an inclined guiding surface located at the entry, such that a
width of the entry is greater than a width of the passage.
12. The slide rail assembly of claim 10, further comprising an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the second
rail, wherein when the engagement member is disengaged from the
mounting base, the second rail is driven to move relative to the
first rail by the elastic force of the elastic member.
13. The slide rail assembly of claim 9, wherein the blocking member
is configured to be operatively moved away from the passage of the
guiding base, in order to allow the chassis to be detached from the
second rail.
14. The slide rail assembly of claim 9, wherein the blocking member
has an abutting feature, and the blocking member is configured to
be operatively moved away from the passage of the guiding base for
being held at an abutting position outside the passage of the
guiding base by the abutting feature.
15. The slide rail assembly of claim 14, wherein the first rail has
a releasing feature corresponding to the blocking member at the
abutting position, and one of the releasing feature and the
blocking member has an inclined surface configured to push the
blocking member away from the abutting position when the second
rail is retracted relative to the first rail.
16. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein a first transverse
width is defined between the side wall and an edge of the bottom
wall of the second rail, a second transverse width is defined
between the entry of the guiding base and the edge of the bottom
wall of the second rail, a third transverse width is defined
between the mounting member of the chassis and the edge of the
bottom wall of the second rail, the third transverse width is
between the first transverse width and the second transverse
width.
17. The slide rail assembly of claim 6, wherein the guiding base
further comprises a third guiding section located above the first
guiding section and configured to guide the chassis above the third
guide section to be dropped on the front end of the second
rail.
18. The slide rail assembly of claim 17, wherein the third guiding
section is extended from an upper portion of the first guiding
section and bent outwardly.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly, and
more particularly, to a slide rail assembly capable of guiding a
chassis to be quickly mounted to a rack for providing stable
support to the chassis.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,456 B1 of Jensen et al. discloses a
method and an apparatus for supporting a computer chassis. The case
discloses a rack-mounted computer system comprising at least two
posts (16). A rail (20) is attached to each post. Each of the rails
comprises two ribs (24) that together define a slot. One portion of
the slot has a greater separation between the two ribs. A computer
component chassis (12) comprises two faces (100, 102) on its outer
surface. Each of the faces has at least one protuberance (104). The
protuberances are shaped to fit at least partially into the slot
(26) of one of the rails at the portion having the larger
separation. The case only teaches that the two rids of the rail are
utilized to support the chassis. Although the chassis can be
rapidly mounted to the rail, supporting capability of the rail is
limited due to design of supporting structure.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 8,317,037 B2 of Henderson et al. discloses a
rail including a shelf for supporting an information handling
system. The rail comprises an upper support structure and a lower
support structure, a slot defined by the upper and lower support
structures, and a shelf extending from the lower support structure
to exceed a front end of the upper support structure. Through the
above design, a chassis can be rapidly mounted to the rail to be
supported by the rail.
[0006] However, in the above two cases, the disclosed rail has a
portion fixedly arranged at an outer side of the rack. Therefore,
the rail is not applicable to a cabinet type rack. For different
product requirements, slide rail assemblies with different assembly
methods can be provided to bring more options to the market.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention relates to a slide rail assembly and a
guiding mechanism thereof.
[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a slide
rail assemble comprises a first rail, a second rail and a guiding
base. The second rail is movable relative to the first rail along a
longitudinal direction. The second rail comprises a side wall and a
bottom wall perpendicularly connected to the side wall. Wherein, a
first transverse width is defined between the side wall and an edge
of the bottom wall. The guiding base is arranged at a front end of
the second rail. The guiding base comprises a first guiding section
and a second guiding section. The first guiding section and the
second guiding section define an entry, an exit and a passage
located between the entry and the exit. Wherein, the entry, the
exit and the passage are arranged along a same direction. Wherein,
a second transverse width is defined between the entry of the
guiding base and the edge of the bottom wall of the second rail,
and the second transverse width is smaller than the first
transverse width.
[0009] Preferably, a plurality of elongated holes are formed on the
side wall of the second rail. The second rail is connected to the
first rail by a plurality of connecting members with each of the
connecting members passing through the corresponding elongated
hole, such that the second rail is movable relative to the first
rail within a limited space defined by the elongated holes.
[0010] Preferably, the slide rail assembly further comprises an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the second
rail for driving the second rail to move relative to the first
rail.
[0011] Preferably, one of the first guiding section and the second
guiding section of the guiding base has an inclined guiding surface
located at the entry, such that a width of the entry is greater
than a width of the passage.
[0012] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a
slide rail assembly is configured to mount a chassis to a rack. A
plurality of mounting members are arranged at one side of the
chassis. The slide rail assembly is mounted to the rack through a
pair of brackets. The slide rail assembly comprises a first rail; a
second rail movable relative to the first rail along a longitudinal
direction, the second rail comprising a side wall and a bottom wall
perpendicularly connected to the side wall; and a guiding base
arranged at a front end of the second rail, the guiding base
comprising a first guiding section and a second guiding section,
the first guiding section and the second guiding section defining
an entry, an exit and a passage located between the entry and the
exit; wherein during mounting the chassis to the rack, the second
rail is moved out of the rack relative to the first rail, in order
to allow the bottom wall of the second rail to abut against a
bottom part of the chassis for further pushing the chassis into the
rack, the chassis is mounted to the second rail through guiding the
plurality of mounting members by the entry of the guiding base to
pass through the passage and the exit of the guiding base.
[0013] Preferably, a front end of the first rail has a protrusion
facing the side wall of the second rail, such that when the second
rail is moved out of the rack relative to the first rail, the
second rail is deflected by the protrusion of the first rail.
[0014] Preferably, the slide rail assembly further comprises a
blocking member movably mounted on the second rail. A portion of
the blocking member is located in the passage of the guiding
base.
[0015] Preferably, the slide rail assembly further comprises an
engagement member arranged on the second rail. One of the pair of
brackets has a mounting base. The engagement member is engaged with
the mounting base when the second rail is retracted relative to the
first rail.
[0016] Preferably, the slide rail assembly further comprises an
elastic member configured to provide an elastic force to the second
rail. When the engagement member is disengaged from the mounting
base, the second rail is driven to move relative to the first rail
by the elastic force of the elastic member.
[0017] Preferably, the blocking member is configured to be
operatively moved away from the passage of the guiding base, in
order to allow the chassis to be detached from the second rail.
[0018] Preferably, the blocking member has an abutting feature. The
blocking member is configured to be operatively moved away from the
passage of the guiding base for being held at an abutting position
outside the passage of the guiding base by the abutting
feature.
[0019] Preferably, the first rail has a releasing feature
corresponding to the blocking member at the abutting position, and
one of the releasing feature and the blocking member has an
inclined surface configured to push the blocking member away from
the abutting position when the second rail is retracted relative to
the first rail.
[0020] Preferably, a first transverse width is defined between the
side wall and an edge of the bottom wall of the second rail. A
second transverse width is defined between the entry of the guiding
base and the edge of the bottom wall of the second rail. A third
transverse width is defined between the mounting member of the
chassis and the edge of the bottom wall of the second rail. The
third transverse width is between the first transverse width and
the second transverse width.
[0021] These and other objectives of the present invention will no
doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after
reading the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a pair of slide rail assemblies
being mounted to a rack according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the slide rail assemblies being
moved out of the rack according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of an area 1A in FIG. 1.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an area 2A in FIG. 2.
[0026] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an area 2B in FIG. 2.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of an area 6A in FIG. 6.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing arrangement between a chassis
and the slide rail assemblies according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0030] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of an area 8A in FIG. 8.
[0031] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the chassis being mounted to
the slide rail assembly according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0032] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the slide rail assembly being
deflected by a protrusion when the slide rail assembly is moved
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the chassis being mounted to
the slide rail assembly according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0034] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a mounting member of the
chassis before being guided by a guiding base of the slide rail
assembly.
[0035] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the mounting member of the
chassis being guided by the guiding base of the slide rail
assembly.
[0036] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a blocking member being pushed
by the mounting member of the chassis to be temporarily located
outside the passage according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0037] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the chassis being mounted to
the slide rail assembly while the blocking member is still located
outside the passage.
[0038] FIG. 17 is an enlarged view of an area 16A in FIG. 16.
[0039] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the chassis being mounted to
the slide rail assembly while the blocking member is moved back to
the passage for blocking the mounting member of the chassis.
[0040] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the chassis to be mounted to
the slide rail assembly in a top-down manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing a rack 20 and a pair
of slide rail assemblies 22 according to an embodiment of the
present invention. The rack 20 comprises a plurality of posts 26.
Each of the slide rail assemblies 22 is mounted to two of the posts
26 of the rack 20 by a pair of brackets 28. The slide rail assembly
22 comprises a first rail 30 and a second rail 32. Wherein, the
first rail 30 is mounted to the pair of brackets 28 as a
reinforcement cover. The second rail 32 is movable relative to the
first rail 30 along a longitudinal direction D. The second rail 32
comprises a side wall 34 and a bottom wall 36 perpendicularly
connected to the side wall 34.
[0042] Preferably, a plurality of elongated holes 38 are formed on
the side wall 34 of the second rail 32. The second rail 32 is
connected to the first rail 30 by a plurality of connecting members
40 with each of the connecting members passing through the
corresponding elongated hole 38, such that the second rail 32 is
movable relative to the first rail 30 within a limited space
defined by the elongated holes 38.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the present invention further comprises
an elastic member 42 configured to provide an elastic force to the
second rail 32 for driving the second rail 32 to move relative to
the first rail 30. Specifically, the first rail 30 has a first
mounting feature 31, and the second rail 32 has a second mounting
feature 33. Two ends of the elastic member 42 are respectively
connected to the first mounting feature 31 of the first rail 30 and
the second mounting feature 33 of the second rail 32.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 4, the present invention further comprises
an engagement member 44 arranged on the second rail 32. As shown in
FIG. 5, one of the brackets has a mounting base 46. When the second
rail 32 is retracted relative to the first rail 30, the engagement
member 44 is engaged with the mounting base 46 (refer to FIG. 1).
In addition, when the second rail 32 is retracted relative to the
first rail 30 to be fixed in the rack 20, the elastic member 42
generates an elastic force. When the engagement member 44 is
disengaged from the mounting base 46, the second rail 32 is driven
to move out of the rack 20 relative to the first rail 30 (refer to
FIG. 2) by the elastic force of the elastic member 42, for mounting
a chassis 24 (refer to FIG. 8).
[0045] As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the present invention further
comprises a guiding base 48 arranged at a front end of the second
rail 32. Preferably, the guiding base 48 and the second rail 32 are
formed in one piece. The guiding base 48 comprises a first guiding
section 50 and a second guiding section 52. The first guiding
section 50 and the second guiding section 52 define an entry 54, an
exit 56 and a passage 58 located between the entry 54 and the exit
56, wherein the entry 54, the exit 56 and the passage 58 are
arranged along a same direction. In addition, one of the first
guiding section 50 and the second guiding section 52 of the guiding
base 48 has an inclined guiding surface 60 located at the entry 54,
such that a width X1 of the entry 54 is greater than a width X2 of
the passage 58. Preferably, the guiding base 48 further comprises a
third guiding section 53 located above the first guiding section
50. For example, the third guiding section 53 is extended from an
upper portion of the first guiding section 50 and bent outwardly,
such that the chassis 24 above the third guiding section 53 can be
guided by the third guiding section 53 to be dropped on the front
end of the second rail 32.
[0046] Please refer to FIG. 4. Preferably, the present invention
further comprises a blocking member 62 movably mounted on the
second rail 32. A portion of the blocking member 62 is located in
the passage 58 of the guiding base 48.
[0047] FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 are diagrams showing installation
arrangement between the chassis 24 and the pair of slide rail
assemblies 22. Wherein, a plurality of mounting members 64 are
arranged at two sides of the chassis 24.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 10, a first transverse width W1 is defined
between the side wall 34 and an edge of the bottom wall 36 of the
second rail 32. A second transverse width W2 is defined between the
entry 54 of the guiding base 48 and the edge of the bottom wall 36
of the second rail 32. A third transverse width W3 is defined
between the mounting member 64 of the chassis 24 and the edge of
the bottom wall 36 of the second rail 32. The third transverse
width W3 is between the first transverse width W1 and the second
transverse width W2. In addition, the second transverse width W2 is
smaller than the first transverse width W1.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, preferably, a front end of the first
rail 30 has a protrusion 66 facing the side wall 34 of the second
rail 32. As shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, when the second rail 32
is moved out of the rack 20 relative to the first rail 30, the
second rail 32 is deflected by the protrusion 66 of the first rail
30, so as to allow the second rail 32 to be closer to the chassis
24, in order to facilitate guiding the plurality of mounting
members 64 of the chassis 24 into the guiding base 48.
[0050] According to the above arrangement, when the chassis 24 is
going to be mounted to the rack 20, the engagement member 44 is
disengaged from the mounting base 46, such that the second rail 32
is driven to move out of the rack 20 relative to the first rail 30
by the elastic member 42 (refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5).
[0051] As shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. 15, a user can place the chassis
24 to allow a portion of a bottom part 25 of the chassis 24 to abut
against the bottom wall 36 of the second rail 32, and then push the
chassis 24 toward the rack 20. In such process, the plurality of
mounting members 64 of the chassis 24 are guided by the entry 54 of
the guiding base 48 to pass through the passage 58 and the exit 56
of the guiding base 48, such that the chassis 24 can be mounted
into the rack 20 and firmly supported by the second rail 32. Even
when the chassis 24 is slightly unaligned to the front end of the
second rail 32 during mounting, the entry 54 of the guiding base 48
can correctly guide the mounting members 64 of the chassis 24. In
other words, the chassis 24 can be rapidly and correctly mounted to
the second rail 32 through guiding the mounting members 64 by the
inclined guiding surface 60 (refer to FIG. 7).
[0052] More particularly, when the plurality of mounting members 64
of the chassis 24 pass through the passage 58 of the guiding base
48, the blocking member 62 is pushed. Preferably, as shown in FIG.
15, the blocking member 62 of the present invention has an abutting
feature 68. The blocking member 62 can be operatively moved away
from the passage 58 of the guiding base 48 for being held at an
abutting position P outside the passage 58 of the guiding base 48
by the abutting feature 68. After the last mounting member of the
plurality of mounting members 64 of the chassis 24 passes through
the exit 56 of the guiding base 48, the blocking member 62 can be
manually moved away from the abutting position P.
[0053] In another embodiment, the blocking member 62 can also be
designed to be automatically detached from the abutting position P.
Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 15. The first rail 30 can be
arranged with a releasing feature 70 corresponding to the blocking
member 62 located at the abutting position P. As shown in FIG. 16
to FIG. 18, one of the releasing feature 70 and the blocking member
62 has an inclined surface 72 configured to push the blocking
member 62 away from the abutting position P back to an initial
position when the second rail 32 is retracted relative to the first
rail 30.
[0054] In other words, after the blocking member 62 is pushed away
from the abutting position P, the blocking member 62 freely swings
back to the passage 58 of the guiding base 48 in order to block the
last mounting member 64 of the chassis 24.
[0055] On the other hand, when the chassis 24 is going to be
detached from the rack 20, the blocking member 62 can be
operatively moved away from the passage 58 of the guiding base 48,
for allowing the chassis 24 to be detached from the second rail 32.
As such, the chassis 24 can be further detached from the rack 20
conveniently.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 19, a fourth transverse width W4 is defined
between the side walls 34 of the second rails 32 of the pair of
slide rail assemblies 22, and a fifth transverse width W5 is
defined between the third guiding sections 53 of the second rails
32 of the pair of slide rail assemblies 22, wherein the fifth
transverse width W5 is greater than the fourth transverse width W4.
The chassis 24 has a sixth transverse width W6 slightly smaller
than the fourth transverse width W4. As such, when the user places
the bottom part 25 of the chassis 24 toward the front end of the
second rail 32 of the pair of slide rail assemblies 22 in a
top-down manner, a front end of the chassis 24 can be guided by the
third guiding section 53 of the second rail 32 to be accurately
placed on the bottom wall 36 of the second rail 32. Even when the
chassis 24 is placed toward the second rail 32 in a top-down manner
along a wrong direction, the direction of the chassis 24 can be
corrected by the third guiding section 53 at the front end of the
second rail 32, such that the chassis 24 can be conveniently and
rapidly mounted to the pair of slide rail assemblies 22.
[0057] According to the above illustration, the slide rail assembly
of the present invention can allow the chassis to be rapidly
mounted to the rack, and the chassis can be reliably and stably
supported through the guiding design of the slide rail
assembly.
[0058] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the
above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes
and bounds of the appended claims.
* * * * *